The Nxeon Blog

Guides for people who run their own servers.

Straight-talking tutorials and comparisons on VPS hosting, game servers, Linux and security. No fluff, just what actually works. 346 guides from the team that runs the servers.

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97 guides for “tools” · Clear search
Networking · 6 min read ·

How to Diagnose DNS Problems with dig and nslookup

When a domain won't resolve, dig and nslookup tell you exactly why. A practical, example-driven guide to reading their output and finding the real problem.

Email · 6 min read ·

How to Set Up DKIM on a Self-Hosted Mail Server

Generate a DKIM key, publish it in DNS and sign outgoing mail on your own Postfix server with OpenDKIM. The full command-by-command walkthrough.

Domains · 5 min read ·

How to Set Up a Subdomain for a Game Server

Give players a memorable address like play.yourdomain.com instead of a raw IP and port — with the right DNS record, and an SRV record to hide the port entirely.

Email · 6 min read ·

How to Stop Your Emails Going to Spam

A practical checklist for getting your email out of the spam folder — authentication, reputation, content and infrastructure — with the exact fixes that move the needle.

Email · 6 min read ·

How to Set Up SPF, DKIM and DMARC Step by Step

The three DNS records that decide whether your email lands in the inbox or the spam folder. Here's exactly what to publish, in the right order, with real values.

Email · 6 min read ·

How to Set Up Reverse DNS (PTR) for a Mail Server

A missing or wrong PTR record is the fastest way to get your mail server's email rejected. Here's how reverse DNS works and how to set the PTR correctly.

Domains · 6 min read ·

How to Point a Domain to a VPS with Cloudflare

A step-by-step guide to connecting any domain to your VPS using Cloudflare's free DNS, including the exact A records and the proxy setting most people get wrong.

Tutorials · 5 min read ·

How to Self-Host a URL Shortener on a VPS

Branded short links on your own domain, with real analytics and no third-party shutting them down. Install Shlink on a VPS with Docker.

Security · 5 min read ·

How to Self-Host a Password Manager on a VPS

Which self-hosted password manager should you run, and how? Compare Vaultwarden, KeePass sync and Passbolt, then deploy your pick on a VPS with HTTPS.

Tutorials · 4 min read ·

How to Self-Host Grafana and Prometheus for Monitoring

The classic open-source monitoring stack. Install Prometheus and Grafana on a VPS with Docker, collect server metrics, and build dashboards that actually help.

Tutorials · 5 min read ·

How to Self-Host a Matrix/Synapse Chat Server

Own your chat with a Matrix Synapse homeserver. Install it on a VPS with Docker, wire up HTTPS and federation, and connect with the Element app.

Tutorials · 4 min read ·

How to Self-Host Ghost Blog on a VPS

Ghost is a fast, focused publishing platform with built-in memberships and newsletters. Install it on a VPS with Docker and HTTPS in under half an hour.

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